MONTESSORI METHOD 



3928 



MONTESSORI METHOD 



psychic development similar to those of hygiene 

 for the physical. Psychology and pedagogy 

 thus go together in the "Children's House;" 

 their methods are identical. From one point 

 of view the methods employed are educational, 

 from another they furnish the conditions re- 

 quired for scientific research. The school thus 

 becomes the field of experimental psychology, 

 and the teacher a scientific observer. 



In conclusion we may cite the observations 

 and records which it is the duty of the teacher 

 to make. A biographical chart is constructed 

 for each child, recording the more important 

 facts of his physical and psychological develop- 

 ment. Psychological observations, of course, 

 are of a synthetic nature; that is, they have 

 reference to manifestations of the child's per- 

 sonality as a whole, and this gives rise to a 

 classification of psychological characteristics 

 fundamentally different from that of the mod- 

 ern experimental laboratory, in which the trend 

 of investigation is analytical rather than syn- 

 thetic. The guide with which Dr. Montessori 

 supplies the teacher for her psychological ob- 

 servations is as follows: 



Guide for the Psychological Observations 



WORK 



Note when the child begins to remain con- 

 stantly at work. 



What work and how long he persists in it 

 (slowness in bringing it to an end, or repetition 

 of the same exercise). 



Individual peculiarities in application to the 

 different occupations. 



To what work he applies himself successively 

 in the same day and with what constancy. 



If he has periods of spontaneous diligence and 

 for how many days. 



How he manifests his need to progress. 



What occupations he chooses in their progres- 

 sion, remaining at them with persistence. 



Persistence in spite of stimuli in the environ- 

 ment which would tend to distract his attention. 



If after an enforced distraction he returns to 

 the work which was interrupted. 



CONDUCT 



Note the state of order or disorder in the acts 

 of the child. 



His disordered acts. 



Note if there are changes of conduct during the 

 development of the phenomena of work. 



Note whether, in the establishing of order in his 

 acts, there are : 



Crises of joy, 



States of serenity, 



Manifestations of affection. 



Interest which the children take in the develop- 

 ment of their companions. 



OBEDIENCE 



Note whether the child responds to invitations 

 when he is called. 



Note whether, and when, the child begins to 

 join in the work of others with intelligent effort. 



Note the establishment of obedience to requests. 



Note the establishment of obedience to com- 

 mands. 



Note when the child manifests obedience. 



Note the relations between the various phe- 

 nomena of obedience in its grades 



(a) With the development of work. 



(b) With changes of conduct. 



Observations on Physical Development 



The record of the child's physical development 

 takes the following form. 

 Weight (weekly). 



Height standing and sitting (monthly). 

 Head circumference, maximum anterior-pos- 

 terior and transverse diameters (yearly). 

 Thoracic perimeter (yearly). 

 From these are calculated and recorded 

 ( 1 ) The Ponderal Index 



Weight X 100 

 Height standing. 

 ( 2 ) The Index of Stature 



Height sitting X 100 



Height standing. 

 (3) The Cephalic Index 



Transverse diameter of headX 100 

 Anterior-posterior diameter. 



The measurements are taken on the day of 

 the week, month or year on which the child 

 was born, so that the teacher has only a small 

 group of children to measure daily. 



They are recorded on printed forms, separate 

 copies of which are provided for each child. 

 Groups of related facts are kept upon separate 

 sheets for ready reference, or for regrouping 

 in the case of future research. 



In addition to a record of the child's de- 

 velopment during his school life, account is 

 also taken of his past history. Inquiry is made 

 as to the age at which the teeth were cut, and 

 at which the child walked and spoke; any ill- 

 nesses which he may have had; facts relative 

 to his birth (normal or otherwise) ; age at 

 which his parents contracted marriage, their 

 illnesses, etc. His home environment also has 

 an important influence upon his life, and par- 

 ticulars are gathered as to the wealth, social 

 position and habits of the family. 



These particulars may be elicited little by 

 little by the teacher in her intercourse with 

 the child's parents; her opportunities are ex- 

 ceptionally good in this respect in the case of 

 the "schools within the home," in which she 

 lives in the same block of dwellings as those 

 from which the children are drawn. 



The importance which such a body of facts 

 would have in the scientific world, should their 

 collection be made upon a large scale, can 

 hardly be overestimated. Almost every branch 



